If reports are to be believed, the casting race for "The First Avenger: Captain America" has been narrowed down to a select few. Director Joe Johnston and Marvel Studios have asked a handful of actors to test screen for the coveted role of Steve Rogers, hopefully paving the way towards an imminent announcement and ending the long road to Captain America's casting.
The list of frontrunners has prompted a mixed bag of reactions, to say the least. Some fans are enthusiastic about the prospective candidates, while others are less than thrilled. But if this truly is the pool we're looking at, perhaps it would do some good to measure up each possible choice to see whether they have what it takes to wield the shield.
Read on for our assessment of the five allegedly final "Captain America" contenders.
MICHAEL CASSIDY: There's no question that Michael Cassidy has some comic book credibility. He once tested for McG's "Superman," he's had a recurring role on "Smallville," and his character on "The O.C." was the co-president of the high school comic book club. But the actor, solidly built though he may be, has yet to show signs that he can command both an army of soldiers and a full-packed theater audience. If he can step up his acting game, Cassidy wouldn't be a bad choice.
CHACE CRAWFORD: The "Gossip Girl" actor certainly has the leading man status to bring young viewers to "The First Avenger," but I'm not convinced that he's right for Rogers. He has the high class problem of being too conventionally good looking to pass off as Steve during his pre-Cap phase, and he's simply too thin for the super soldier's frame. But given the right mix of make up and bodybuilding, maybe Crawford could work.
JOHN KRASINSKI: Of all the actors on the list, John Krasinski of "The Office" prompts the biggest double-take. This is a far cry from the affable Jim Halpert, a role that's already so established that it's hard to seriously consider him for Cap. That said, who would have ever thought that the guy from "Van Wilder" would wind up as Green Lantern and Deadpool? Perhaps Krasinski will follow the Ryan Reynolds mold and surprise us all as Steve Rogers.
SCOTT PORTER: The former "Friday Night Lights" star and current "Caprica" actor has the perfect look for Steve Rogers. He's a noted comic book lover and he's a solid actor to boot. But like Cassidy, he's just a relatively untested quantity. Still, my gut tells me that Porter has what it takes to lead his own movie and also handle himself opposite Iron Man and Thor in "The Avengers."
MIKE VOGEL: Another relatively anonymous actor, Mike Vogel has a body of action films and thrillers to his name like "Cloverfield" and "Poseidon," but those roles provide little evidence of what he's capable of. Still, Vogel's lack of name recognition could work in his favor. Without any real baggage to speak of, Vogel stands a real chance at transforming himself into Captain America in the eyes of the audience.
Which actor would you cast as Cap? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter!
